Nets Reportedly Eyeing Austin Reaves Trade: Why Lakers Might Have to Listen
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly eyeing Austin Reaves as one of their primary targets this offseason, and the asking price from the Lakers is going to determine whether anything actually gets done.
Reaves has spent the last three years becoming one of the more reliable scoring guards in the league. He averaged 19.6 points and 5.4 assists per game last season while shooting 38 percent from three. He fits any roster. The question for the Lakers is whether the offer Brooklyn can put together is enough to part with him.
Why Brooklyn Wants Him
The Nets are in the early stages of building around their young core. Brooklyn has draft capital. Brooklyn has cap flexibility. What Brooklyn does not have is a proven shot creator who can score at all three levels and play off the ball next to their other young guards.
Reaves checks every one of those boxes. He is 27 years old. He is on a manageable contract. He can run pick-and-roll, work off catch-and-shoot looks, and defend at an acceptable level for a wing-sized guard.
For Brooklyn’s timeline, Reaves is the bridge piece. He is too good for a complete rebuild but young enough to grow with the next phase of the roster.
The Lakers’ Calculus
Los Angeles committed to Luka Doncic as the franchise’s face. LeBron James is in the final stages of his career. The Lakers need to retool around Luka.
Reaves has been a perfect fit next to Luka. Their two-man game is one of the best in the league. They share a brain on offense. Trading Reaves means breaking up that chemistry and replacing it with something that probably is not as good in the short term.
But the Lakers also need defense, size, and a long-term answer at multiple positions. If Brooklyn offers a package that fundamentally upgrades the Lakers in those areas, the math has to be considered. Otherwise, holding Reaves is the right move.
What Brooklyn Could Actually Offer
The Nets have a stockpile of first-round picks from the James Harden trade and other moves. They could offer multiple firsts to start the conversation.
The trickier piece is the player return. The Lakers would want a young rotation player or two who can immediately help. Brooklyn’s young guards are intriguing but might not fill the holes the Lakers actually have.
That mismatch is why this deal might not happen even if both sides are interested. Reaves is worth more to the Lakers than the picks Brooklyn can offer. Brooklyn is not going to part with the few players they actually like.
The Reaves Side
Reaves has not asked for a trade. He likes Los Angeles. He likes playing with Luka. He has built a quietly star-caliber profile that is going to make him a max-contract candidate the next time he hits free agency.
If Brooklyn does trade for him, he becomes the centerpiece of the Nets’ rebuild. That comes with a lot more attention, a lot more responsibility, and a lot more money. Some players want that. Some players are happier as the second or third option on a good team.
Reaves’s preference probably matters less than people think. NBA trades go through whether the player wants them to or not. But his preference might be the small factor that tips the balance between this getting done and this dying as another offseason rumor.
Bottom Line
The Nets are doing their due diligence. The Lakers are listening. Nothing is imminent. The next two weeks of NBA trade conversation are going to be loud, and Reaves’s name is going to be in the middle of it whether or not a deal actually happens.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
